


The Tide to Rock You to Sleep

by spirithorse



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Dragons, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spirithorse/pseuds/spirithorse
Summary: He had known that humans would become seraphim if they stayed close to them. Sorey had told him that while he had still been fixed on getting back to Ladylake, but it had been something far in the future. It had still been firmly in the future when he had seen his mother and uncle undergo the change and, to everyone’s surprise, Breunor just three years after he and Uno had straggled in. It hadn’t even crossed his mind when they had extended an invitation for visiting or staying to Alisha and Rose. The only time he had acknowledged it was when Malfore had been at the shrine. But that was back when he had felt it, like an instinct that something was changing. But it had been long enough that he had gotten used to it and ignored it.In retrospect, that had been foolish of him.





	The Tide to Rock You to Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Last of the shorts from the Dragon Bride AU. I'd been wanting to write this one for a while, but this just gave me the opportunity. Originally written for TalesWhumpWeek on tumblr for the prompt "self-destruction." Title taken from Tranquil Lullaby by Jenia Lubich.

“Death is only the beginning.”  
-The Mummy

* * *

The shrine was a hive of motion, as it always was. Human and seraphim were passing in the halls, sometimes moving aside to allow the seraphim in their larger form. Pups scurried among their feet, racing off down the passages. Mikleo was sure that they were going to the top of the mountain to run in the fields, or out towards Camlann to visit the humans and seraphim there. 

Mikleo knew that they were all running away from Michael and his lessons, and they would probably succeed. They all had his uncle figured out now. All they had to do was wait until Michael warmed to his topic and then sneak out. Michael wouldn’t be aware of their absence until he was done. By then, there was nothing he would be able to do.

Mikleo chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He should round them up and take them back, but they were bound to get some kind of education. There was always something to do in the village or the shrine. If they weren’t lending a hand, than Velvet was more than happy to help them with hunting lessons. Even play was important to their proper education, or so he had read. Mikleo was sure that the author that he had read it from had never actually seen any animal, or else their approach wouldn’t be so timid. Years of marriage and three clutches had given him plenty of time to watch pups at play. All of it looked something like hunting, and he still flinched every time. At least the fear was gone.

Mikleo watched another bunch of pups make a break for it, shaking his head. He should stop them, or at least make the attempt. As Sorey’s husband he had some kind of loose authority. Mikleo didn’t quite know if there was a title to go along with it, but he hardly exercised the power. He didn’t need to. The most he had to do was act as a final word in decisions, but that was a formal environment. Even still, it was something that he had to talk to Sorey about. Their lessons might be boring, but they were important.

The pups were protected here by Sorey’s and Maotelus’ domains and the Aroundight Forest. Any humans that did come to them had sought them out purposefully. Save for Malfore, it was never malicious and even Malfore had stumbled in by accident. Still, rumors drifted in. Dragons were being sighted in the skies again, and there wasn’t a Shepherd to be heard of. If anything, they were getting more people fleeing from cities than the towns in the far corners of Glenwood. It was good progress and something that they could be proud of.

He tipped his head back, smiling as he watched the humans and seraphim moving around. He should get up and do something, there were plenty of little things to be done, but he didn’t want to move. He was comfortable where he was, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to.

Mikleo frowned up at the ceiling. He felt tired, but that wasn’t new. The heaviness was. Moving was getting difficult because he was stiff all the time. Mikleo supposed that it made sense. He might have looked like he was in his twenties, but he was at least in his sixties. It was hard to track time when he couldn’t mark it out on his own body.

He sighed and let his eyes closed. What he wanted to do was just sleep. It didn’t matter that he had slept will the night before, it was never enough. Mikleo winced, rolling his shoulders. The ache didn’t go away, but settled stubbornly back in place. It was probably just his imagination that it was worse, centering towards the middle of his back. Mikleo shifted to rub at it, pausing as his vision blurred before settling into the pounding headache.

He hissed, reaching up to rub at his head. It felt like his whole head was pulsing, like his head was going to split apart if he wasn’t careful. He pressed the heel of one hand against his forehead, holding it there until it stopped.

Mikleo gasped, taking a few deep breaths. He didn’t dare raise his head, not when he wasn’t sure that the headache would stay away. It was happening more often, and this was the fourth or fifth one of the day. Or maybe it was more. Mikleo couldn’t remember.

He rubbed hard at his forehead, giving up a moment later. This was something that he was going to have to ask Selene or Zenrus about, maybe Phi if he could be found. One of them would have an explanation. If not, there was always Sorey when he got back, but that would be later in the day.

Mikleo scanned over the humans and seraphim. He wasn’t surprised that Selene and Zenrus weren’t inside. If anything, they would be outside, which meant getting up. Mikleo pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead harder. He could easily send someone off to find them, but that would involve questions that he didn’t want to deal with at the moment. Mikleo sighed, looking up again.

He frowned when he saw a familiar black, grey, and white dragon rushed past with a bunch of others. Mikleo sighed, recognizing the red banding on their wings, back and muzzle.

Mikleo muttered a curse, before raising his voice in a shout as he went to get up from where he was sitting. “Kocis!”

The dragon yelped and turned to look at him, Mikleo seeing his son’s eyes widen in surprise, but then his vision blurred.

All the lectures about staying and listening to Michael disappeared in the roaring in his ears. It quickly turned back into the pulsing, skull-splitting headache. Mikleo gasped and stumbled forward, reaching up for his head, but everything felt so heavy.

He swayed in place for a moment before the weight and the ache of everything drove him to his knees and unconsciousness.

* * *

Mikleo woke up to someone talking. It was muffled, Mikleo having to take a moment to realize that it was because it was coming from behind him. Mikleo kept his eyes closed, listening with more concentration than it should have taken.

After what felt likes hours he was finally able to recognize Sorey’s voice and the familiar cadence of an old epic. Mikleo smiled, at the familiar story of a young prince who traveled to a mist wreathed island and found a seraph he loved there.

Mikleo reached up to touch Sorey’s hand, confused about why it took so long and needed so much effort. Still, it was worth it to stroke his fingers across the back of Sorey’s hand.

The story cut off abruptly, Sorey’s voice catching on a word. Mikleo felt Sorey’s fingers curl into his shirt, the seraph making a few more starts on continuing before he felt Sorey shake his head,

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mikleo blinked slowly, processing the question. It felt like only a moment, but it must have taken longer because Sorey gently turned him over.

He gasped at the pressure of Sorey’s hands on him. Distantly, he could hear Sorey apologizing, but that was far from his mind. He didn’t understand why the lightest of touches hurt so much. He arched on the bed, immediately grabbing at Sorey’s shirt. Then he was being brought close into a gentle hug. He felt Sorey’s tail curl around his ankle and a wing drape over him, Sorey enclosing them in their own private space. Mikleo swallowed and tipped his head up, the motion slow and enough to make him sweat.

Sorey cooed, reaching up to card his fingers through Mikleo’s hair. Mikleo let himself slump into the touch, more than happy to stop moving. He stared at Sorey, smiling at him. Sorey didn’t smile back, Mikleo wishing he could reach up and wipe the tears away, but he didn’t think he could make it. It was better to just answer the question while he was awake. Sorey didn’t look like he would be patient enough to wait for him to finish a nap.

Mikleo sighed. “I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know?”

Mikleo wished that he could shrug in the face of Sorey’s disbelief. “The headaches make it hard to think. And I thought it was because I was getting old.” The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile as Sorey scoffed. “I am old.”

“I know.” Mikleo wasn’t sure if he was imagining the sad tone in Sorey’s voice. “I just…I wish you had told me sooner.”

“You were busy.”

“Not too busy for you.”

Mikleo narrowed his eyes. “It was important.”

“Like Alisha would allow the princess to step out of line.” Sorey’s fingers curled in Mikleo’s hair for a moment. “Muse can handle things well enough. And I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate knowing that something happened to you. And Kocis was so panicked when he flew out.”

“Kocis?”

Sorey nodded. “He thought he had caused this.”

“No.” Mikleo stared at Sorey’s chest for a moment before going to lever himself up. He was surprised when Sorey pulled him down again. “Sorey?”

“Staying here…might be best. I’ve told everyone else to leave us alone.”

“Why?”

Sorey looked down at him before cupping his cheek. “The change is happening.”

Mikleo tried to get the words to make sense, turning them over in his head before it made sense. His eyes widened, Mikleo licking his lips. “Oh.”

Sorey seemed to take that as his word on the matter because he tugged Mikleo closer. Mikleo was happy to use the excuse to clutch at Sorey, trying to ignore the way that his heart was beating fast.

He had known that humans would become seraphim if they stayed close to them. Sorey had told him that while he had still been fixed on getting back to Ladylake, but it had been something far in the future. It had still been firmly in the future when he had seen his mother and uncle undergo the change and, to everyone’s surprise, Breunor just three years after he and Uno had straggled in. It hadn’t even crossed his mind when they had extended an invitation for visiting or staying to Alisha and Rose. The only time he had acknowledged it was when Malfore had been at the shrine. But that was back when he had felt it, like an instinct that something was changing. But it had been long enough that he had gotten used to it and ignored it.

In retrospect, that had been foolish of him.

He tipped his head forward to rest it against Sorey’s chest, relaxing as much as his body would let him as Sorey carded his fingers through his hair.

Mikleo didn’t know how long they laid there. It was long enough for him to start drifting off, comfortable and safe in Sorey’s arms. Then, between one breath and another, he couldn’t breathe.

Mikleo arched and gasped, trying to draw in a breath even as he clawed at Sorey. Something was wrong, he couldn’t breathe. But the pain was still there, in his pounding head, through every breath that he couldn’t take, through every part of his body until he wasn’t sure that there was anything but pain. Even Sorey’s voice was gone.

He clawed at what was in front of him, blindly seeking something to make it stop. But it wasn’t merciful, the pain and aching got to an unbearable point before it stopped.

Blessedly, it stopped.

It all stopped.

Then it came rushing back, a burst of energy that make him shake. The pressure and pain held for a moment before rushing out of him.

Mikleo arched his back, feeling the energy burst free of him, the force of it practically dragging him backwards. He clawed at anything he could reach until he slumped, breathing heavy and utterly exhausted.

He came back to himself in stages, Mikleo drifting in and out of unconsciousness or what seemed like it. He could feel some kind of weight on his back, but it wasn’t the same of what had been before. It was easily to forget about it when he could breathe without pain, and he could hear Sorey’s voice again.

“The prince climbed up through the familiar passages, hoping for a glance of his beloved. He made it to the room they had carefully crafted together, the visions of everything that could go wrong filling his head. Then, he saw the small pile of blankets, and he knew in his heart that the seraph was there.

“He strode across the room, pulled back the covers and…” Sorey’s voice wavered and cracked, Mikleo gasping as Sorey dragged him closer. “Mikleo?”

Mikleo licked his lips, trying to get his throat to work. All that escaped was a croak. Mikleo frowned and swallowed, about to make another attempt when Sorey sighed, the breath coming out as a sob.

“Good.” Sorey hugged him tight. “I was worried. You were in so much pain.”

Mikleo didn’t know what else to do but nod. There was no point in hiding it, not when he had been writing in pain and clawing at Sorey. Mikleo stared at where his hands were curled in Sorey’s shirt, squinting as he looked for damage. It didn’t look like he had managed to do much, which was surprising, but a relief. He didn’t quite know what happened, his mind was still fuzzy and scattered. But Sorey was there, and that was enough.

He shifted so he could get closer, pressing himself as close to Sorey as he could. It felt better there, safe and tucked under Sorey’s wing. Although it was uncomfortable now.

Mikleo huffed, weakly trying to wiggle into place. Something on his head was blocking his perfect position, but Sorey seemed to understand. Sorey shifted his head so Mikleo could tuck himself under his chin. He felt Sorey’s wing rise, Mikleo getting the vague sense of something moving behind him, but he couldn’t quite figure out what.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something teal and white move, Mikleo giving the feathers a quick glance before pushing it out of his mind. It was too hard to think about anything other than settling close and letting the fuzziness in his head ebb away. He could feel the ache still, but it was starting to go away. Mikleo resettled himself, feeling something rest against his leg, but lifting his head would mean moving out of his comfortable position, and Mikleo was sure that he wouldn’t be able to move for much longer. He just needed to rest until all of the aches and pains went away.

He nudged his forehead against Sorey’s chest. “What happened next?”

Mikleo was sure that his voice slurred over his words, but Sorey seemed to understand. He nodded, the angle of it weird, like he was hitting something. Mikleo didn’t have the mental strength to spend too long on it, not when it felt good just to lay there and when Sorey was stroking over something on his back that felt good. Except that it wasn’t quite his back.

Mikleo tried to puzzle it out, but he was distracted as Sorey took a deep breath and continued on with the story. He smiled and settled into the comfortable warmthe between the two of them, listening to the sound of Sorey's voice. 


End file.
